Iroquois Raids

“Long ago when Naataweuch [Iroquois] were still killing Cree people, a Naataweuch canoe must have tipped over near Kaa Iinuukanuuch. That’s where they found bones.

They probably thought it was safe to go down, but their canoe must have tipped and they drowned.”

- George Cannashish

To destroy the economy of New France, Naataweuch warriors attacked tribes friendly with the French. By the 1660s, their raids had extended into the Nemaska-Mistissini-Waswanipi area. Iroquoian pottery made before the raids, however, has been found along the Eastmain River. This suggests that not all contact was hostile.